Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney leads the GOP field for the 2012 Presidential nomination with 27 percent of likely Republican primary voters, according to a new Rasmussen poll.

Romney’s standing comes after the poll excluded former GOP contenders Donald Trump, Mike Huckabee and Sarah Palin, all who either announced they would not run or have seemed increasingly unlikely to enter the race.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie comes in right behind Romney with 26 percent of the vote. Although Christie has repeatedly stated that he would not run, there have been rumors of a last minute draft effort. Republican officials in Iowa have reportedly contacted Christie in hopes of drawing him into the race.

About Justin Duckham

Justin Duckham is a Senior Washington Correspondent with the Talk Radio News Service. Justin is a proud alumnus of UC Merced, where he studied History, Philosophy and American Studies. Prior to making the jump to politics in 2008, Justin was a music journalist in California. Follow Justin on Twitter @Jduckham